Adjustable hinge



Nov. 7, 1961 l c. B. HUGHES. ETAL 3,007,193

ADJUSTABLE HINGE Filed Jan. 12. 1959 :Hummm Edllg Patented Nov. 7, ll

3,007,193 ADJUSTABLE HINGE Charles B. Hughes, Nashville, Tenn., and Theodore l. Devine, Taunton, Mass., assignors to National Glass Company, Inc., Nashville, Tenn., a corporation or Rhode Island Filed Jan. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 786,070 2 Claims. (Cl. 16-134) The present invention relates generally to a novel hinge or pivot for mounting doors or other swinging members.

Many problems and shortcomings have been found to exist in the conventional hinge construction wherein one hinge leaf is secured to the door or other swinging member and a second hinge leaf is secured to the supporting frame, said leaves having interengaging roll or tubular portions through which a pin is threaded to effect the desired pivotal assembly. More specifically, in a conventional hinge arrangement of this type, it has been found that surreptitious breaking and entering through a locked door can be easily effected by removing the hinge pin whereupon the door becomes completely free for removal from its mounting. In addition, hinges of this general type are susceptible to a considerable amount of friction during their turning movement, and it is not at all unusual for binding or the like to exist after continued usage. Still another disadvantage resides in the fact that hinges of this general type are not readily adjustable, whereupon if the door sags due to continued usage or expands due to varying atmospheric conditions whereby binding or jamming occurs during opening and closing movement of the door with respect to its frame, a situation is presented which is not easily remedied. In fact, in order to `overcome such a situation, it is ordinarily necessary to completely remove the `door and hinge from their mountings and either readjust the positioning of the door by enlarging the screw holes in the hinge leaf or perhaps by shimming the hinge.

Accordingly, a primary object of the instant invention is the provision of a hinge and/or pivot for doors or other swinging members which operate with a minimum of frictional resistance, thereby enabling the door or other swinging member to be easily and smoothly swung to its open or closed position.

Another important object of our invention is the provision of a hinge and/or pivot for swinging doors and the like wherein the positioning of the door within its mounting may be readily adjusted so as to overcome sagging and the like. Y

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a hinge so constructed as to prevent surreptitious removal of the door from its hinge mounting when the door is locked in closed position.

Another object is the provision of a hinge and/ or pivot of the character described which is not onlyeffective in use but which also is economically feasible to manufacture, easy to install, and provides an attractive and pleasing appearance.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated by us for carrying out our invention:

FIG. l is an elevational edge view of a hinge embodying the instant invention, the hinge being shown in closed position;

FlG. 2 is a section taken on line 2 2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective detail of one of the hinge leaves which forms a part of our invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective detail of the other hinge leaf;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view, partly in section and on an enlarged scale, illustrating the locking nut which forms a part of our invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective detail, on an enlarged scale, of the bearing disc which forms a part of our invention;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of an embodiment wherein the instant invention is illustrated in a pivot arrangement; and

FIG. 9 is a section taken on line 9 9 of FIG. 8.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. l thereof, there is shown a hinge 1li pivotally mounting a door 12 to a frame 14. It will be understood that although for purposes of illustration the instant invention is to be described in connection with a door mounting, and although this represents one of the prime applications of our invention, it is within the scape of this invention to utilize both the hinge and pivot structures hereinafter to be described in detail on other types of swingable members.

The hinge l@ comprises a pair of individual leaf members 16 and 18, said members being made of any suitable metallic material, although we prefer to utilize aluminum. As will be seen most clearly in FIGS. 2 and 4, hinge leaf le comprises an enlarged semi-elliptical portion 20 at one edge thereof from which integrally extends a substantially rectangular plate 22 having a plurality of mounting holes 24 provided therein. The semielliptical portion 20 of hinge leaf 16 is provided with a bore 26 extending therethrough into which there is pressed a pin 2S, preferably of stainless steel or some other metallic material characterized by high strength and good bearing qualities. The pin 23 may be knurled at its upper end as at 3f? so as to insure that a rigid and secure assembly is obtained between said pin and hinge leaf 16. At its lower extremity the pin 28 is provided with a reduced portion 32 terminating in an enlarged threaded end 34 having a flat bottom 36.

It will be understood that the method of manufacturing the hinge leaf 16, and the hinge leaf 18 hereinafter to be described, forms no part of our invention, and the said leaves may either be cast or machined. Likewise, the precise method of assembling the pin 28 with leaf 16 is not critical, and it is even conceivable that said pin be formed as an integral extension from the semi-elliptical portion 20, in which event, of course, bore 26 would no longer need be provided.

Referring now to the other hinge leaf 1S, it will be seen that said other leaf is similar in configuration to above described hinge leaf 16 in that it comprises an enlarged semi-elliptical portion 38 at one edge from which there integrally extends a substantially rectangular plate 4t) having a plurality of mounting apertures 42 provided therein. As will be seen most clearly in FIG. 2, semielliptical portion 33 is provided with a bore 44 extending therethrough, the lower wall of said bore being threaded as at 46. A threaded aperture 48 extends through shoulder 50 of semi-elliptical portion 38 and communicates with the internal threads 46 for a purpose hereinafterto be described.

In lassembling the hinge parts 16 and 18, the hinge pin 28 is adapted to be rotatably received by the bore 44 in lea-f 18, and as will be seen most clearly in FIG. 2, a plastic bushing 52 is pressed into the upper end of bore 414- and functions as a bearing for the pin 2S. In order to maintain the hinge parts in their assembled position, a hollow retaining nut S4 is provided. The nut 54 is externally threaded as at 56 and is internally threaded adjacent its open end as at 58. An external key slot 60' is provi-ded at the closed end `of said nut in order to manipulate same. A bearing disc 62, preferably of stainless steel, is positioned within the hollow nut 54 and receives thereon a steel bearing ball 64. f Thus, as the retaining nnt 54 is threaded into the lower end of bore 44,

the internal threads 58 will threadedly engage the end portion 34 of hinge pin 28 until they pass freely thereover. This is the position of the parts illustrated in FIG. 2, and in said position it will be noted that the flat lower end 36 of pin 28 is bearing on ball 64. The leaf 18, or to be more specific, plate 40 thereof, is secured to frame 14 by means of screws 66, it being understood that said frame is recessed as at 68 to receive plate 40, as is customary in the art. Likewise, the door 12 is recessed as at 70 and receives plate 22 of hinge part 16 in the same manner.

Thus it will be seen that the door 12, hinge part 16, and depending hinge pin 28 comprise a rigid, unitary assembly, and since the hinge pin 28 is freely rotatable withi-n hinge part 18, the door is hingedly mounted. The resultant hinge action will be extremely free and smooth due to the point contact which exists between the flat lower end 36 of hinge pin 28 and bearing ball 64, thus enabling the door to swing open and closed with a minimurn of frictional resistance. Also, the resutlant hinge will be rugged and durable and capable of long and continued usage due to the fact that the pin 28, bearing disc y62, and ball 64 are all of durable steel construction. The other parts, as hereinbefore indicated, and including the retaining unt 54, can be made of a softer and lighter metal, such `as aluminum, for example, without `appreciably affecting the life or efficiency of the hinge.

Should it be desirable to reposition the door 12 after it has been completely installed and mounted, it is simply necessary to adjust the retaining unit 54. Thus, viewing l FIG. 2, if the nut 54 is rotated in a clockwise direction so as to thread the nut farther upwardly in bore 44, it will be `apparent that hinge pin 28, hinge leaf 16, and door 12 will be correspondingly raised without in any other way affecting the hinged mounting of the door. Conversely, the door can be lowered by threading retaining nut 54 outwardly wi-th respect to the bore 44.

In order to disassemble the afore-described hinge, or remove the door 12 with its hinge part 16 from the door frame and hinge part 18, it is necessary to unscrew the retaining nut 54 sufficiently for the internal threads 58 thereof to pass downwardly over the threaded end 34 of hingle pin 28. Otherwise, the hinge pin 28 cannot be disengaged or removed upwardly relative to bore 44 because the threads 58 and 34 will cooperate to prevent such relative longitudinal movement. Thus, as long as the door is closed and the plates 22 and 40 are inaccessible, itis impossible to remove the door from its hinged mounting without first removing the retaining nut 54. In order to prevent undesirable manipulation of the retaining nut in such a situation, a set screw 72 is threaded into the afore-described opening 48 into locking engagement with the threads 56 of nut 54. Since the set screw 72 is inaccessible and incapable of being manipulated when the door is closed, it follows that retainng nut 54 is effectively locked in its adjusted position, and the door is incapable of being surreptitiously removed from its hinged mounting.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9, a slightly modified form of our invention is illustrated wherein the basic concepts of our contribution to the art are utiliz/ed in a pivot mounting for a swingable door or the like. In such a situation, the door threshold 74 is provided with a metallic extension 76 which carries an upwardly extending pivot post 78. The post 78 may be a press fit within a suitable bore 80 although the precise method of assembling said post to said extension is unimportant. Door frame 82 is provided with a mounting block 84, preferably metallic, to which there is rigidly secured, as by screws 86, a bracket 88. As will be seen most clearly in FIG. 8, the portion of bracket 88 which extends laterally from door frame 82 is preferably semi-elliptical in configuration and overlies the extension 76, said extension preferably being of the same size and configuration. Bracket 88 is provided with a bore 90 which rotatably receives the upper end of pivot post 78, said bore being provided with a plastic bushing 92 for providing a smooth and effective bearing surface.

The bore 90, at its upper extremity, is internally threaded as at 94, said threaded portion being adapted to receive an externally threaded retaining nut 96. The nut 96 is slotted as at 98 to facilitate manipulation thereof and is provided with a hollowed-out portion 100 adapted to bear on a steel bearing ball 102. Since it may be preferable to construct the nut 96 of a relatively soft metal, such as aluminum or the like, a steel bearing disc 104 is positioned in hollowed-out portion 100 and makes engagement with the ball 102, said ball, in turn, bearing on the upper end of pivot post 78. In order tot assist in maintaining the ball properly centered, post 78 may be provided with a central opening 106 into which ball 102 slightly extends.

Thus, it will be seen that bracket 88 and the door attached thereto is adapted to pivot on the axis defined by post 78 or, in other words, to the dotted-line position shown in FIG. 8. By threading the retaining nut 96 farther downwardly into bore 90, it will be apparent that bracket 88 and its associated door will be forced to move upwardly without otherwise affecting lthe pivot arrangement. Conversely, by unthreading the nut 96, the bracket 88 and its associated door will drop downwardly, and hence positioning of the pivotally mounted door may be adjusted to overcome any sag or binding which may exist without affecting the pivotal arrangement and without removing the door from its pivotal mounting. As is the case in the form of my invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 7, raising and lowering of the door may be effected by simply adjusting the retaining nut.

It will be understood that preferably, although not necessarily, the assembly illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 will be provided at the top of the door also. Actually, it is conceivable that the top of the door may be provided with some sort of a pivot arrangement without any adjustment means whereby the raising and lowering of the door will be accomplished completely by the bottom pivot assembly. Should there be any adjustable pivot assemblies at the upper portion of the door, it will be understood that the relative positioning of the parts will be substantially the same as that shown in FIG. 9.

It should also be pointed out that the adjustable hinge assembly illustrated in FIGS. l through 7 may appear along the door edge at as many locations as desirable. In the case of the hinge assembly, however, the arrangement and relative positioning of the parts will always be the same as that illustrated in FIG. 2.

While there is shown and described herein certain specfic structure embodying the invention, it will be manfest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may' be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except in so far as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An adjustable hinge assembly for pivotally mounting a swinging member within a frame, said assembly comprising a first hinge leaf for securement to the frame and a second hinge leaf for securement to the swinging member, one of said leaves having a pin fixedly extending therefrom, the other of said leaves having a bore adjacent to and in alignment with said pin for rotatably receiving same, said bore being threaded at the opposite end from that in which said pin enters, and a hollow, externally threaded retaining nut threadedly mounted 1n said bore, said hollow nut being in facing relationship with respect to said pin whereby to receive the latter therein, said nut being internally threaded adjacent its open end and said pin having cooperating external threads at its free end, the unthreaded internal surface of said nut being of larger diameter than said threaded portion and the portion of said pin contiguous to said pin threads being of reduced diameter, whereby the pin threads are adapted to threadedly pass over the internal nut threads to freely position the pin threaded end within said hollow nut, said nut being readily adjustable within said bore for selectively limiting the penetration of said pin therein, thereby determining the relative positioning of said hinge leaves without otherwise affecting the pivotal relation therebetween.

2. An adjustable hinge assembly as set forth in claim 1 further comprising releasable means for locking said retaining nut in its adjusted position, said releasable locking means comprising a set screw extending through said hinge leaf into engagement with said nut, said set screw being inaccessible for manipulation when the swinging member is in its closed position.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Cooley Nov. 11, Young J an. 3, Hager July 2, De Angelis Apr. 1,

FOREIGN PATENTS Denmark Sept. 24, France Apr. 2, France May 7, 

